Alexander (R-Tenn.) charged in a Wall Street Journal column that there are similarities between North’s involvement with the Iran-Contra scandal — “an arms-for-hostages swap with Iran to fund and work with private organizations” backing rebels in Nicaragua, over the objections of Congress —and efforts by Sebelius to find funding for a private organization assisting with Obamacare implementation from the private sector.

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“There is, of course, a difference between Nicaraguan rebels and health care,” Alexander acknowledged. “With Iran-Contra, Congress had also prohibited support for the rebels, while in the case of health-care funding, Congress has refused to provide the amounts that the administration has asked for. But the principle and the legal prohibitions are the same.”

Alexander, who has been raising concerns about fundraising by Sebelius for weeks, concluded by arguing that “If the money being raised by Ms. Sebelius is being spent to do an end-run around Congress, then the Obama administration had better brush up on its Iran-Contra history.”